Murderous Crank Murdered by Murderous Crank

This one's already made the rounds, but I believe that these acts can never be denounced loudly nor often enough. While Dr. Tiller practiced a form of abortion so controversial that his was one of only three clinics known to do so, nothing can justify the callous, cowardly, and overwhelmingly hypocritical act committed today.

If the murderer believed that he was acting as a righteous vigilante, he should be ashamed by the manner in which he committed his act. A Church, a place of repentance and forgiveness, a place where they read from The Book that says, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone," and the house of worship for He who is without sin, Who has chosen to allow any and all who are willing to confess and be saved. This murderer also committed his act before a congregation, likely including children, and before Dr. Tiller's wife. Even if the murderer believed that he was killing for the sake of good, his inclusion of these innocents chills my bones.

This murderer, though, knew exactly what he was doing. He knew that he was committing a grave sin--one that he would be held to account for here on Earth. Why else would he run? If he saw himself a hero, he would have stayed boldly, in the light of day, and proclaimed proudly his righteous deed. But he fled, to the shadows, where sin and agony lurk. This man knew his vendetta was an evil one.

If this man believed that life, even as yet unborn, is sacred, he would never have murdered Dr. Tiller. However, our society and our rules of law permit killing in a handful of circumstances--each hotly debated. Collecting the most liberal of these laws throughout the country, we can list them in two categories--laws that apply to individuals and laws that apply to government. For the sake of argument, lets explore and see if this man in any way acted lawfully:

Individuals
Self Defense
Physician-Assisted Suicide
Cessation of Life-Supporting Treatment
Abortion

Government
Death Penalty
Police Self-Defense
Military Operations

Many people object morally to some or even all of these sanctioned types of killing. But for a starting point of discussion, let us explore the matter as though all (with the exception of Abortion, lest we lose our antagonist) were morally acceptable. The man was clearly not acting under government orders, removing three of our choices. By all accounts, Dr. Tiller was healthy before his encounter with our would-be hero, ruling out all but self-defense. Here it would be simplistic to say that the act could not have been one of self-defense, because Dr. Tiller posed no immediate danger to the gunman.

But let us tease this out just a little further. "Self-defense" may well mean defending others: If a convenience store clerk has just been robbed and is about to be killed by his assailants, a stranger killing his attackers to save the clerk is normally considered a her. Think how many unborn lives our gunman has saved by killing their would-be attacker!

Now it is time for our straw man to be batted down. I see three meaningful arguments that should dash the heroics right out of our gunman. In the case of the store clerk, the threat was imminent, illegal under the law, and there were no other viable options present to save the clerk. By comparison, Dr. Tiller's threat to the unborn was not imminent, not illegal, and a host of other viable options were still available. Imminence is of utmost importance to proving a claim of defense; this point merges with the third, as having time allows for more persons and entities to become involved. Dr. Tiller was ushering at a Church, not ushering a woman to the nearest back alley, coathanger in hand. Legality will always be relevant--no matter that what is legal may not be moral. Had the assailant of our clerk been assailing him with dirty words, no matter how degrading or uncouth, no one would look to the gunman as a hero for ending the assailant's tirade with a bullet. No matter how vile, evil, or otherwise unsavory Dr. Tiller's profession, it remains a legal one. The most damning point, however, is the last: There remain many other alternatives. Protests, demonstrations, electing officials who will write and vote on legislation, rhetorical persuasion...the list of other, viable, legal, non-lethal solutions goes on.

The gunman has now joined the ranks of the many evil, cowardly men who have killed in the name of righteousness, but who really killed out of hatred, spite, and malice. Ted Kazynsky believed he was doing good by trying to destroy the world--a world he loathed and hated with all his being. Timothy McVeigh believed he was doing good by destroying an instrument he thought evil--an instrument he loathed and hated. The 9/11 hijackers believed they were doing good by trying to overthrow the "Great Satan" of the United States--a country they loathed and hated. And so, we find a man, who killed another man, whom he must have loathed and hated. We shall call him a murder. We shall denounce him and his work as evil. And we shall grieve for the blood that was spilled, for the lives shattered and ruined, and for the widow of Dr. Tiller.

Mrs. Tiller, my prayers are with you and your family right now.